Into the Fire

 Becoming an . . . American Assassin

(Reprinted from October 19th, 2010) 

(Consider this review after reading my comments on the movie trailer)

It’s no secret what a fan I am of Vince Flynn’s novels. I’ve read all of them now and will no doubt have a long, long wait for the next Mitch Rapp book. Vince’s novels routinely make the New York Times Bestseller List as well they should. He’s no stranger to readers of political thrillers, and he’s earned every bit of respect and notoriety for his fearless and insightful portrayals of terrorism, politics, and the CIA. The stories and his hero Mitch Rapp are unequaled in American novels dealing with similar topics. Once again I want to emphasize how big a fan I am: I love Vince Flynn novels.

So before I review the story which is a prequel to the Rapp novels, as a reader and as a writer, I must state that I have never seen so many copy-editing errors in any professionally published novel. This book is published by Atria, a division of Simon & Schuster, and is destined for the NYT Bestseller List upon its release. Mr. Flynn is represented by a top-flight agent and no doubt pulls the cream of the crop in editing services from his publisher. All that to say this: there is simply no excuse for producing a book from this talented author with no less than 25—and possibly more—errors in it beginning within the first three pages and continuing throughout the book.

From the standpoint of production: American Assassin is an incredibly disappointing piece of work. There were so many mistakes, at times it was distracting to read because not only were wrong names used in scenes where the particular character couldn’t be, other names were misspelled in one place after establishing the spelling in another. The word “widower” was used twice instead of the correct term “widow”. And can you believe “your” was used once for “you’re”?! Multiple times words were left out or others were present where they shouldn’t be. The only logical assumption is that this was typeset from a first draft. Honestly, I was shocked.

American Assassin introduces us to the young Mitch Rapp, discovered by CIA Director Thomas Stansfield’s protégé Irene Kennedy, and brought to the hidden training center for operatives and more specifically assassins—the location and leader of which readers will recognize from Pursuit of Honor. Stan Hurley, the mean old cuss and former operative assigned to train or derail the hopeful recruits, is hacked off that Irene insists this young “college puke” could possibly stand up to what will be required of him. Irene is insulted because Stan doesn’t give her credit for possibly discovering their best hope for the Middle East counterterrorism operations.

Standing toe-to-toe with the man she knows as Uncle Stan from her days as the daughter of a prominent foreign ambassador, she argues and accuses him of not taking her seriously because he still sees her as a little girl. Stan knows she’s right but there’s no way he’ll admit to it. In walks Rapp who immediately challenges the growling, sneering dude to a match in order to determine if Rapp has “the stuff” to remain at the facility. Surprise, surprise. The kid has the stuff but Hurley is still reluctant to keep him, ticked off because Rapp hasn’t had military training like most of the guys who wind up in the program. However, what he inevitably can’t ignore is the skill set, both physically and mentally, that Mitch Rapp brings to bear. His intelligence and intuitive talents match his physical strengths, and his humility in admitting his shooting skills need teaching and improvement make him a lock for withstanding the grueling and sadistic training.

Before too long Rapp is given his first assignment. Taking all of his detailed instructions into account, he improvises and assassinates an arms dealer who provided the impetus for the Lockerbie flight which went down with the love of his life on board. Without a twinge of guilt on a park bench outside the man’s apartment, Rapp looks the man in the eye and tells him why he is the target. Mission accomplished. Stan Hurley is rabid when he learns the outcome because Rapp didn’t follow the plan. However, when all is said and done, Director Stansfield reminds Hurley how much Rapp reminds him of Hurley in his youth, and eventually they form the cohesive unit needed to carry on the business of exterminating terrorists.

We see the transformation of a young man with a purpose, willing to sacrifice his life if necessary but preferring to overcome and eliminate targets/terrorists. Willing to ignore the parts that cause self-examination in the mirror of his life, he’s young enough and dedicated enough to see the necessity for his choice of a livelihood. Truly becoming a killing machine, Mitch Rapp knows that someone must do what he does if his country is to survive the evil intentions of those who would destroy it. We get the picture of who Rapp is—his uncompromising and unflinching strengths—and we know exactly how he became the American Assassin in the books to follow.

Great story. Mitch Rapp fans will love learning his early history. Dreadful presentation of a book. The best thing about the book’s production is its dual covers, both attractive and well-designed.

Father, you know Vince's heart and soul. You know where he's at with you, Jesus. Help him to continue to grow closer to you and produce the stories you have for him to tell. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.